Coin selecting apparatus



Au 22, 1933. -F ED I 1,923,535 I com SELECTING APPARATUS iiiled March 4, 19s; 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR J0/1N GOTTFR/ED daw m ATTORNEYS Aug. 22, 1933. J. GOTTFRIED COIN SELECTING APPARATUS Filed March 4. 1951" 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Y l/ll/ INVENTQR Jo/M $0 TTFR/ED ATTORNEYS Patented Aug, 22, 1933 I A'rsNr orrlcs 1,923,535 corN SELECTING APPARATUS John Gottfried, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to B. & G. Coin Selectors, Incorporated, Bridgeport, Conn.

'Application March 4, 1931. Serial No. 519,980- Claims. (01. 194-101) The present invention relates to coin selecting devices for use on/coin controlled mechanisms and has for an object to provide improved apparatus for separating genuine coins from counter- 5 feit coins and slugs. Genuine coins are uniformly made of certain metals and the other coins and slugs usedfor fraudulently operating coin controlled machines are made of various other materials or are of a different size from the genuine 10 coinswhich it is intended shall operatethe mechanism. It is, therefore, possible by the use of selective devices, which afiectdifferently coins of difierent sizes or coins of different metals, to separate certain selected genuine coins from various other coins, counterfeit coins or slugs made of other materials. v

The present invention has been developed more particularly 'in connection with the production of a coin separating device for use on a coin controlled mechanism designed to beoperatedby an American silver twenty-five cent'piece, and for the purposes of illustrating the principles of the invention, such an embodiment of theinvention will be more particularly described. It will be understood, however, that certain features of the invention are equally applicable to devices for separating other coins.

Referring to the drawings in which is illustrated a selected embodiment of the invention- 30 Figure 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic view, partly in section, of certain operative portions of a device embodying the principles of the invention,

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. l,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-4 of-Fig. 1, showing theaction of the upper ejecting spring when a twenty-five cent piece is passing through the device,

Fig. 4 is a similar sectional view taken on the line 3--4 but showing a smaller coin passing through the device,

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 6 is a detail view showing another form of ejecting mechanism, and

' Fig. '7 is a view of a tell-tale device.

In the, structure shown for the purposes of iilustration, an upper inclined chute, or runway, 5 is connected directly to a lower J-shaped chute 6, a suitable portion of the length oi which passes between the poles of amagnet 7. The upper inclined chute is provided with arrangements for removing under-size coins, over-size coins'and iron coins or slugs. A coin inserted through the coin slot 9 rolls along the upper chute.5 past an opening 10 in the side wall of the chute, the upper edge of which opening is formed by a movable top rail 11 pivoted at 12 and arranged to be lifted by a push rod 13 extending without the casing of the device. The top rail 11 carries a suitably positioned pin 15 projecting into the chute and arranged to serve as a stop for an over-size coin. In an opening 16 in the opposite side wall of the chute is carried an ejecting spring 17 designed to bear lightly against a passing coin in such manner that a coin of smaller-size not engaging the top rail 11 will be immediately pressed through the opening 10, whereas a coin oi. the size for which the device is designed will be merely pressed against the top rail, but will roll on; An over-size coin willbe stopped by the pin 15 and will be ejected by the spring 17, when the push rod 13 is pressed to' raise the top rail 11. A magnet 20 is provided to draw downwardly into the slot 21 any coin of magnetic material, whereas coins of non-magnetic material will jump across the slot and pass to the J-shaped chute 6. This J-shaped chute is formed with the longer leg so positioned that a coin rolling down the same gains a substantial velocity and the shorter leg positioned to form an upwardly inclined section up which the coin rolls as the result of its inertia.

f The longer leg is preferably inclined to cause the coin to roll on its edge, so thatit will gain a substantial speed of rotation during its downa ward movement and the shorter leg is inclined upwardly to the point of discharge.

The magnet '7 is preferably positioned adjacent the upwardly inclined section constituting the shorter leg of the J-shaped section and its magnetic strength is so related to the inclination of the two sections of the J-shaped chute and the velocity of a coin rolling therein that silver coins will be discharged at the upper end 01 this inclined section, but with a very low velocity thereby to'drop into the coin chute 25, while other colnsof less electrical conductivity will pass over by a longer path to the coin chute26 from whence they will be returned, and coins of greater electrical conductivity, such, for example, as copper and aluminum, will be still more retarded and ,will not pass'out of the chute at the discharge end, but will roll backwardly.

Suitable provision is made for removing the I coins or slugs which roll back. In the structure shown'in Fig. 1, a lateral opening 281s provided in the side of the chute, preferably at the lowermost point, and a spring deflector 30 is positioned to engage the backwardly. rolling coin and'decoin chute. 1

fiect it through said lateral opening. The spring 30 is very flexible and is easily pressed outwardly by a passing coin as said coin engages the diagonally inwardly extending end of said spring.

After the coin passes theend of the spring, it

connected with any operative part, such, for

example, as the operating mechanism for ejecting an article in an automatic vending machine to which the device may be attached.

As best shown in Fig. 5, the: magnet 7- may be provided with iron pole pieces 36 suitably fitted into holes in the side walls of the upwardly inclined section of the chute in order that a strong concentrated magnetic field may be provided.

Ordinarily the side walls of the J -shaped chute need not be specially formed to prevent the rolling coin hitting against the forward edge of the opening.

It is desirable to provide. means wherebyin the event a spurious coin passes through the machine, a signal will be given which will be observable to an operator, in order that attempts to rob the machine may be detected at the time of the attempt. Such a device is shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings and comprises a scale pan 40 positioned to be moved by the spurious coin to close an electric circuit which, in turn, may be connected to fiash an electric light or .other signal. I,

In the arrangement shown the tell-tale device is connected in the path of the chute 25. A coin falling in said chute strikes an anvil 41, which serves as an additional selecting device, as a check on coins which have passed through the magnetic field and have been selected as good coins. The silver coin will bounce a substantial distance to the chute 42, but lead coins will drop in the chute 43 and strike the scale pan 40 moving. it about pivot 45. The electric' contact finger 46 will wipe against the. contact 47 to operate the tell-tale signal.

The arrangement may, furthermore, be such that the coins from the chutes 26 and 31 will' be delivered into the chute 43 so that discarded coins from these .chutes will also operate the tell-tale.

The foregoing particular description is illustrative merely and 'is not intended as defining the limits of the invention.

I claim:-

1. In a coin selecting device, in combination, a chute having a downwardly inclined section down which a coin may roll by gravity and an upwardly inclined section up which the coin may roll by its inertia to a point of discharge, and amagnet adjacent the upwardly inclined section for. creating a magnetic field to retard a coin more or less according to. the electrical conductivity of the material of the coin, whereby coins of certain character will be retarded sufficiently to roll back, provision being made for the discharge of the backwardly rolling coin 'from the 2. In a coin* jlecting device, in combination, a chute having a dow'nwardl'ydnclined section down which a coin may roll by gravity and an upwardly inclined section up which the coin may roll by its inertia to a point of discharge, a magnet adjacent said chute for creating a magnetic field to retard a coin rolling in the chute more or less according to the electrical conductivity of the material of the coin, whereby coins of certain character will be retarded sufficiently to prevent their rolling to the 'point of discharge and means for' ejecting a coin which fails to reach the point of discharge.

3. In a coin selecting device, in combination, a chute having a downwardly inclined section down which a coin may roll by gravity andan' upwardly incline'd section up which the coin may roll by its inertia to a point of discharge, a magnet adjacent said chute for creating a magnetic field to retard a coin rolling in the chute more or less according to the electricalconductivity of the material of the coin, the strength of the magnet being so related to the-length and inclination of the chute sections that a silver twenty-five cent piece will roll along the chute through the magnetic field to the point of discharge, but

'a copper coin of the same sizewill stop short of the point of discharge and roll backward, provision being made for the discharge of the backward rolling coin from the coin chute.

4. In a coin selecting device, in combination, I

a chute having a downwardly inclined section down which a coin may roll by gravity and an upwardly inclined section up which the coin may roll by its inertia to a point of discharge, a magnet adjacent said chute for creating a magnetic field to retard a coin rolling in the chute more or less according to the electrical conductivity of the material of the coin, the strength of the magnet being so related to the' length and 'inclination of the chute sections that a silver twenty-five cent piece will roll along the chute through ,the magnetic field to the pointof discharge, but

a copper coin of the same size will stop short of the point of discharge and roll backward, provision being made for the discharge of the backward rolling coin from the coin chute, and means beyond the point of discharge of the upwardly inclined chute section for separating silver coins having a short trajectoryfrom coins having a long trajectory.

5. .In a coin selecting device, incombination, a J-shaped coin chute positioned in a substantially vertical plane to permit a coin to roll down the longer leg and up the shorter leg to a point of discharge, said chute being provided with a lateral opening. at its lower portion, a spring deflector adjacent said opening movable to permit forward passage of a coin but engageable with a backwardly rolling coin to deflect it through the opening, and a magnet positioned to provide a magnetic field at the shorter leg of the chute to retard a coin more or less according to its electrical conductivity, whereby coins of certain character will be retarded sufli ciently to roll back and be dischargedthrough the lateral opening.-

6. In a coin selecting device, in combination, a J-shaped coin chute positioned in a substantially vertical plane to permit a coin to roll down the longer leg and up the shorter leg to a point of discharge, said chute being provided with, an

opening at its lower portion, a magnet positioned adjacent the shorter leg of the chuteto provide a magnetic field to retard a coin more or less acback before reaching the point of discharge and means for ejecting a rolled back coin through said opening.

7. In a coin selecting device, in combination, an upwardly inclined chute section, means for rolling a coin up said chute at a predetermined velocity, a magnet adjacent said chute for creat- I ing a magnetic field across said chute section to retard a coin more or less according to the electrical conductivity of the material of the coin, the strength of the magnet being so related to the predetermined velocity of'the coin and the length and inclination of the chute section that a silver coin will roll through the magnetic field to the point of discharge, but coins having greater electrical conductivity such as copper will be retarded suificiently to roll back before reaching the point of discharge;

8. Ina coin selecting device, in combination, an inclined coin chute provided with a movable top rail to form a guideway for coins, a J-shaped coin chute connected to said inclined chute to receive coins therefrom, said J-shaped coin chute having one section down which coins roll under the influence of gravity and a second upwardly inclined section up which coins roll as the result of inertia,.and a magnet adjacent the upwardly inclined section for creating a magnetic field to retard a coin more or less according to the electrical conductivity of the material of the coin, whereby coins or certain character will be retarded sufliciently to roll back whfle coins, of certain other character will roll-forward to the point of discharge. v

9. In a coin selecting device, in combination,

van inclined coin chute provided with a movable top rail to form a guideway for coins, a J-shaped coin chute connected to said inclined chute to receive coins therefrom, said J-shaped coin chute having one section down which coins roll under the influence of gravity and a second upwardly inclined section up which coins roll as the result of inertia, a'magnet adjacent the upwardly in clined section for creating a magnetic field to retard a coin more or less according to the electrical conductivity of the material of the coin, whereby coins of certain character will be retarded sumciently to roll back while coins of certain other character will roll forward to the point of discharge, and a spring pressed push pin positioned to be projected to eject laterally from the coin chute coins whichhave rolled backwardly to the lowermost point.

10. In a coin selecting device, in combination,-

a J-shaped coin chute arranged to projecta coin in general horizontally but slightly upwardly, a magnet positioned to provide a magnetic field which will retard the movement of the coin so far as its horizontal component of movement is concerned, substantially as described.

JOHN Go'r'rmmn, 

